Day 7

Day 7: G. 12’s in the Guat

Today, we went to the school early in the morning. The hill is still a challenge, and it doesn’t seem to be getting easier to climb. This morning we sang worship with the high school students instead of the little ones, and spent the first 45 minutes in the morning singing Spanish worship songs. Then, it was off to work. While many slaved with the challenges of shovelling dirt and carrying cinder blocks, others painted the mural in the teacher lounge, delivered hamper baskets to families in need and helped students get more comfortable speaking in English. Many of the kids, who have only been learning English for a short time, are phenomenal when they speak to you and are doing way better speaking English than we are speaking Spanish.

 

Later in the morning, 2,000 cinder blocks arrived for us to carry. An assembly line was formed, and slowly we worked at the pile (yet we still have more to go for the next two days at the school). Coffee break is a regular thing at the school, where we enjoy fresh fruit, some sort of Spanish dish (today nachos with fresh Cinco de Mayo and guacamole) as well as Guatemalan, strong coffee.

 

At two in the afternoon we were off to our host moms for lunch (several live on the street pictured above). Today, I enjoyed pasta, beef patties and three tortillas. I have discovered that I do not want to discover the amount of carbs I eat here in Guatemala. After our lunches, we came back to our compound to get ready for VBS. The skit was prepared, and the craft supplies loaded. Today we had a turn out of over 50 kids. It’s sometimes overwhelming, but the kids are so happy and overjoyed to be there. I had the privilege of handing out jolly ranchers near the end, which we soon discovered are not sold in Guatemala. Even the parents were lining up to grab one.

 

After VBS, we came back for dinner and got ready for a Guatemalan church service at Le Gloria Que Impacta. There, we sang songs for over an hour and got out of our comfort zone as people jumped, danced and glorified the Lord in a different way than what we’re used to. One thing that we have all discovered on this trip is that regardless of the culture, language, or people, our God is universal.

The adults are now playing euchre beside me, and everyone else was too tired to play cards tonight after the day we have had. Buenos Noches from the Gr. 12’s in the Guat.

Love, Leah, (on behalf of an exhausted Emma and Rachel, who went to bed).